


A fortiori

by brutalities



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brutalities/pseuds/brutalities
Summary: In which Solus zos Galvus attends an opera.A piece I contributed to for the Musica Universalis Zine! Check out the rest of the artists and writers on their twitter @MusicaZine!
Kudos: 2





	A fortiori

The Majestic Theatre never ceases to amaze Solus. Their performances are the absolute peak of theatre in all of Garlemald, even the entirety of Eorzea. And now, they are to host an opera, a “once-in-a-lifetime event", as Jenomis writes to him. Given the tour dates, it looks like he’ll only be able to attend the final show in Garlemald. The last few months have been… tumultuous. First the demise of the Bozja Citadel, then the discovery of The Burn. There is never a dull moment thanks to these events, although a moment of freedom would certainly be welcomed right now.

Solus reads through Jenomis’ letter once more before setting it aside with the rest of his paperwork. He presses down on the bridge of his nose, sharply exhaling before reclining on his seat. 

Another restless night spent in his study going through one dense report after another. Some things never change.

_"A harder worker I'd labor to find...but half the joy in safeguarding what you love is getting to enjoy it. Won't you take a break?"_

His eyes dart up to the edge of his desk, and for a moment, he pictures a figure leaning over it with a gentle smile. It’s only a figment of his memory, nothing more. It makes him grimace, as he withholds the playful retort for no one to hear. 

* * *

The day of the opera comes almost immediately, interrupting the work haze Solus has accustomed himself to. It’s a blessing, however, and he tells himself that he deserves a moment's reprieve despite everything. Jenomis is the first to greet him once he arrives at the Majestic Theater, accompanying him to the box seat he reserved just for him. Their brief catch-up is fleeting as he’s immediately called to make sure everything is set for showtime. 

It’s a story of hardship, Jenomis had told him, about a man who yearns to revive his homeland by whatever means possible. A sympathetic goal, truly. But with it comes conflict, deceit, and burdens one can hardly bear. It’s a tale completely different from the usual heroics he would normally present in his stageplays, but it’s most certainly welcome.

Solus takes his seat and watches the sea of attendees below do the same. Shortly after, the main lights nearly darken with only the stage remaining brightly lit. The show then commences, as he and the attendees are introduced to a man of many hardships, one that wishes to right the wrongs done to him as best he can no matter what consequences awaited him.

A man named Dis.

* * *

The stage lights dim with only two spotlights to illuminate the remaining Dis and Alcides. They ready their weapons, declaring that their resolve will not waver despite their friendship. One fights for the return of their loved ones, the other to protect the loved ones that are currently with them.

A violin begins to play Dis’ theme solo, a song once gentle and somber, now wailing and desperate. Another violin joins soon after, this time playing Alcides’s respective theme. The courageous and capricious theme does not play over Dis’, but rather attempts to be played alongside it. Perhaps an allusion to how this ‘hero’ wishes to connect and walk the same path rather than fight over a conflicting one, or so Solus assumes.

They sing in unison,

_Now open your eyes while our plight is repeated_

_Still deaf to our cries, lost in hope we lie defeated_

_Our souls have been torn, and our bodies forsaken_

_Bearing sins of the past, for our future is taken_

The two instruments soon meld together into a single medley with instrumental motifs of both characters as the orchestra joins in, signaling the beginning of the battle. The music begins to build as Dis and Alcides clash, their weapons clanging along with each crashing cymbol. Solus leans forward from his seat with his chin cupped in his hand, watching the competitors intently. He sympathizes with Dis more than Alcides, for many reasons. It’s almost like gazing through a reflection of the past. It only reinforces what he’s experienced so far within his life as ‘Solus’. 

And Alcides… They remind him of one of his dearest companions, one that stood close by him only to later betray him for the ‘good’ that they believed in. The similarities cause a bitter smile to form on Solus’ lips.

_“Their lives are not worth less than ours. It will not be remembered that Amaurot sounded a death knell for all life on the star, for our own benefit. That is where I stand.”_

_What sort of ending does Jenomis have in store_ , he wonders.

As the music begins to swell, a voice breaks him from his concentration.

“Sire, the Legatus wishes to speak to you of Project Meteor.”

He tilts his head back slightly to catch a glimpse of the Garlean soldier near the entrance of the box fumbling to straighten his posture. Nael must have deliberately sent a newcomer to grab his attention, though, she should know better than to interrupt him when attending the Majestic Theater. Solus glances back at the stage and sees Alcides falling to his knees as Dis tells him the tale of his peoples--his _family_ \--and how he cannot allow his efforts to crumble from so-called heroics.

Sighing, Solus rises from his seat, “Had you the patience to wait for, say, ten minutes or so, I would be able to witness the finale uninterrupted. I suppose Nael is a bit desperate to discuss this, so I won’t keep her any longer.” He can’t hold a grudge towards the fledgling regardless, not like he knew any better. The soldier exits the box to wait for him in the hallway, but Solus lingers momentarily before trailing behind. He hears Dis’ words echo triumphantly within the theater,

_Yet ever we still stand tall_

_Invincible_

_Never we fall_

“Never we fall…” He mutters under his breath as he places his hand over his heart. It’s been a long, tedious journey; a lonely one at that. The constant encounters and interactions with countless fragmented beings only causes the void in his heart to grow. None of these ‘people’ around him are truly his friends, his fellow Amaurotines. The mortality these beings bear will never meet his satisfactions and desires and only remind him of his true mission. They will never be rightful replacements for those he has lost.

He’s tried. He’s given multiple chances to these sundered beings, to adapt to their lifestyle. But their shortcomings are constant reminders why he must continue on his quest to bring about the Rejoining. 

Everything he’s done and continues to do has and will forever be for his homeland, for his peoples.


End file.
